Online Resources for Translational Research
Funding Resources
Non-profit foundations that fund research grants in fields related to STSI’s mission. Investigators interested in submitting a grant proposal to these or other foundations first should contact the grants officers of their institutions.
CTSpedia
CTSpedia was created as a national effort to collect wisdom, tools, educational materials, and other items useful for clinical and translational researchers and to provide timely and useful advice to clinical and translational researchers with specific problems.
http://www.ctspedia.org/do/view/CTSpedia
ResearchToolKit
This online library of resources to facilitate multi-site collaborations for health research covers community-based organizations, academic institutions, and health care delivery settings.
http://www.researchtoolkit.org/
CTSciNet
CTSciNet, the Clinical and Translational Science Network, is an online community for people interested in or already pursuing careers in clinical and translational research.
http://community.sciencecareers.org/ctscinet/
Collaboration Opportunities
Collaboration is critical to address many research questions in clinical and translational science. This website lists projects for which investigators are seeking collaborators. The list includes established studies as well as projects in early development. While each opportunity has been endorsed by a center in the Clinical & Translational Science Awards (CTSA) consortium, researchers at non-CTSA institutions can use this website to identify potential collaborations.
Direct2Experts
The DIRECT network, open to all biomedical institutions, is a pilot project of the NIH-supported Clinical & Translational Science Award (CTSA) Consortium to expedite an investigator’s nationwide search for potential collaborators. Rather than searching public databases or asking individual researchers to “sign-up,” this online resource connects to the existing research networking tools of various institutions. Because it works across different software products and respects local privacy policies, this resource can represent many institutions.
ResearchMatch
A CTSA consortium initiative (coordinated via the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research), this national, disease-neutral, centralized volunteer recruitment agency connects individuals who wish to participate in research with eligible researchers. www.researchmatch.org
Trial Protocol Tool
The Trial Protocol Tool is a tool that supports the production of a high quality research protocol. It provides a checklist of issues that should be considered when writing a protocol, examples of how these issues have been addressed by other researchers, a library of full protocols and teaching materials. It also provides access to related websites.
Launch Trial Protocol Tool
Collaboration and Team Science: A Field Guide
NIH developed this guide for researchers and clinicians who currently participate or lead a research team, or are considering joining or building a research team.
https://ccrod.cancer.gov/confluence/display/NIHOMBUD/Home
Comparative Effectiveness Research Survey Online Course
Jointly sponsored by Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, this unique online series of courses covers evidence generation, synthesis and interpretation and integration as well as applying evidence in decision-making. Online attendees can receive a maximum of 30 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
http://tuftsctsi.org/Education-and-Career-Development/CER-Survey-Course
U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Collaborations
A Sept. 2010 meeting co-sponsored by NIH’s National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) identified collaboration opportunities between the NCRR Clinical & Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program and the VA. They include:
• VA Genomic Medicine Program (“Million Veteran Program”), a national resource for genomic research initiatives to improve healthcare provided to veterans.
• VA Pharmacogenomics Analysis Laboratory (PAL), which supports ongoing and future pharmacogenomics observational studies and clinical trials to improve treatment by reducing toxicity and increasing efficacy of drugs.
• eMERGE Network (“electronic MEdical Records and GEnomics”), a consortium of CTSA institutions and DNA Biobanks supported by NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute and National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The network links electronic medical record (EMR) data to assess the utility of EMR as resources for genome science.
• VA Information Resource Center (VIReC), which provides investigators with detailed, summarized information on the data sources most used by VA researchers.